Filmotography: Shooting on Set

"The general food chain of unit photography often involves beginning by working on
student films for free, working on low budget productions for somewhat more,
and eventually working on larger shows for somewhat even more, plus union benefits."

Virtually every film or TV set has some sort of so-called "unit" photography,
whose main purpose is to provide stills of important scenes for continuity
purposes and potential publicity and some candid photography between scenes.

In addition, productions often hire photographers to do what's
called "special" photography, which is usually portrait work
for advertising purposes, and is mostly commissioned by the advertising departments
of studios. As advertising, this portrait work is the high end of things,
and photographers hired on this basis are called "specials." However,
the unit photographer sometimes does the movie poster photos in addition
to the scene-by-scene unit work, so the categories are not entirely rigid.

The portrait work done for most movie posters is shot in a separate
session away from the working film or TV set or when the set is inactive,
and is more like shooting a magazine cover than covering a production. Since
portrait work is well-documented in other forums, I will confine myself to
the mysteries of the set itself.

The high end of unit photography on union films is based on membership
in the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees, or I.A.T.S.E.,
local 600 of the Cinematographers Guild. This in turn is based on a set of
complicated entry requirements. They are, basically: (a) work on a
non-union show that happens to sign a union contract; (b) work for 100 cumulative
days in a one-year period on a non-union production and provide payroll stubs
to prove this to the union when applying for membership (c) be "grandfathered
in" by a producer or director who insists upon working with you and
will settle for nothing less. You will still be required to pay a union entry
fee of around $6,000 plus yearly union dues.

As I understand it, the general food chain of unit photography often
involves beginning by working on student films for free, working on low budget
productions for somewhat more, and eventually working on larger shows for
somewhat even more, plus union benefits.

Whether the work is union or non-union, this is regular employment
with regular work rules. You're part of a large crew, and clock in
and out at appointed times. As with the rest of photography, digital skills
are becoming increasingly valued

The biggest downside of both union and non-union unit photography
is that it's all done on a Work For Hire basis, meaning that at the
end of a workday, the end of a production or the end of a career the photographer
owns no rights to the photographs and can derive no further income from them. With
a significant amount of production having moved outside the U.S. there is
less domestic work available, period, and overseas work usually involves
lower pay and fewer benefits.

For those paying a visit to a set for the first time on behalf of
a newspaper or magazine, here are some suggestions regarding comportment:

It helps to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible, including
wearing dark or distinctly unflashy clothing. Moving carefully and deliberately
is recommended - cords are everywhere, people are everywhere else.
During sound recording, use a sound-deadening enclosure called a "blimp." A
company called Jacobsonhttp://www.soundblimp.com makes them, and
they can be rented from places like Samy's Camera in Los Angeles.

It's a good idea to consult with the unit publicist about sensitivities
the actors may have. Some actors are particularly (almost comically)
touchy about what is called the "eyeline" - the direction
in which they're looking during a scene. They're used to people
in their eyeline standing absolutely still during takes, and some find a
photographer's raised camera to be very distracting - mostly
because photographers move - focusing the camera, shifting its axis
as an image is reframed.Some actors will only allow outside photographers
to shoot during takes, others only during rehearsals.

Be as sensitive as possible to your effect on the other working people
on the set. The act of photographing involves shutting out the world
while examining it through a camera, and it's very easy to forget that
dozens of people are moving themselves and an array of large and even larger
objects around a working set. Take the phrase "watch your back" very
seriously - on a set it has a physical rather than a social meaning.

A personal accessories note: I wear kneepads when working on sets.
I'm also the only photographer I've ever seen who wears them.
I am subject to a certain degree of standard ridicule, but they allow me
to be even smaller and more inconspicuous when I want, and enables me to
squeeze into areas of the set that would otherwise be uncomfortable and unlikely. The
rest of my effort involves standing around for long periods of time without
falling asleep.

A personal disclaimer: Apart from the preceding I know almost nothing
about how to become a unit photographer, break into or out of anything pertaining
to the above, and am mostly unresponsive to people who ask me follow-up questions.
So please, I beg of you, no cards, letters, phone calls or emails requesting
further elaboration.

Vaya con Dios.

David Stick has been documenting Hollywood and the
film industry since 1975.In 1988 he published a book of behind-the-scenes
black and white images of Hollywood and the film industry entitled "Our Hollywood" which
featured an intro by Bret Easton Ellis. Strick continues his questionable
activities as a contributing photographer to Premiere Magazine, where he
has a monthly photo column, and to work for film and television studios.
His pictures appear regularly in magazines including Time, Business Week
and Life, and are syndicated by Redux Pictures in New York. Strick is a
member of the Board of Directors of Editorial Photographers. He lives in
Los Angeles with his wife and son. More of David's work can be seen at www.davidstrick.com